


When in Rome

by Aystyr (devinsxdesigns)



Series: If You Want to Go Far, Go Together [1]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Aliens Made Them Do It, Angst, Daniel in trouble again, Discipline, Hurt/Comfort, Non-Sexual Spanking, Poor Danny, Spanking, Stargate, everyone will have Feelings, first spanking, has artwork, jack doesn't have a lot of choices, judicial discipline, non-consensual spanking (kinda), season 1 jack and daniel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:06:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24123322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/devinsxdesigns/pseuds/Aystyr
Summary: Daniel stumbles into trouble on a mission, but neither he or Jack could have imagined what they'll have to do before they are allowed to return home.
Relationships: Daniel Jackson & Jack O'Neill friendship - Relationship
Series: If You Want to Go Far, Go Together [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1748833
Comments: 13
Kudos: 53





	1. Misunderstandings

**Author's Note:**

> This is set sometime in Season 1, before episode 20 ("There But for the Grace of God")/the Apophis attacks Earth arc. There may be spoilers for any episodes before that in later chapters. 
> 
> While I have been interested and reading spanking fic for YEARS, this is my first foray into writing it, and it's not beta read. Constructive critique is welcome, but please be gentle. No spanking in this chapter, sorry, but will be coming next chapter. ;)

**Chapter 1 || "Misunderstandings" || Jack's POV**

This was supposed to be an easy trip through the gate.

Jack supposes that he should stop thinking that, ever, because it simply seems to jinx whatever mission they are on. He shifts, and looks from Carter to Teal’c in exasperation, resisting the urge to lift a hand to his forehead. “What do you mean, you don’t know where he is?”

They exchange a glance, neither one looking particularly eager to explain, but Sam looks back to him after a moment and does so anyway. “Sir, Daniel said he wanted to go meet with some of his contacts in the city one more time before we left. He promised he’d be back in plenty of time to return to the Gate.”  
  
Jack makes a show of checking his watch, which shows that they are already overdue to be making their way back to the Stargate to return to Earth. Sam winces a little, but says nothing.

The Osparians had been friendly and welcoming to SG-1, and for once only seemed a little bit off from Earth’s own stage of development, rather than extremely primitive or far advanced. Carter was enthusiastic about some of their technology, which they seemed willing to share, and even thought they might have some advancements the Osparians didn’t to share in return. Daniel had been over the moon about being able to study another population of humans who seemed to have evolved free of Goa’uld influence but in similar parallel to their own. The first few days Jack and Teal’c had shadowed their teammates as they went about their respective explorations, but when there had been no sign of any sort of danger, they’d relaxed their guard. Teal’c and Sam had no reason to be uneasy about letting Daniel run a last-minute errand or two.

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have that feeling in his gut. The feeling that says that something has happened to Daniel – again.

“It is not unusual for Daniel Jackson to get distracted.” That from Teal’c, but when Jack looks up to meet his dark gaze, he can tell that the Jaffa doesn’t feel right about this either.

“Indeed,” he responds dryly, drumming his fingers on the wood of the open door frame as he looks out into the city. “I assume you’ve already tried him on the radio?” He addresses this to Sam, looking back into the house where she is perched on the edge of a table, pack ready and waiting for departure at her feet.

“He left his on the charger here, sir. We didn’t notice until we tried to contact him.”

Of course he did. Apparently, danger isn’t the only reason to insist that Daniel follow the buddy system, since the good Doctor can’t be bothered to remember even the most basic protocols when he’s absorbed in some puzzle or another. He files that away for future trips. “Fine. Captain, go ahead to the Stargate and send a message through that we’ll be delayed. No reason to have them panicking about an overdue team if it takes hours to track him down. Teal’c, stay here in case he comes back – and keep ahold of him this time if he does. I’ll go start talking to the contacts I know he was visiting the most.” Checking the battery on his own radio, he’s already absently making a mental list of the places that he’d traipsed around following their archeologist to the first couple of days out, and he almost runs into the figure raising their hand tentatively to knock on the outside of the open door.

“Callo,” he says in surprise, not expecting to see their Osparian guide and translator. The team had said farewell to the slim, diffident young man earlier that day when they took their last breakfast at the small restaurant down the street that had been serving them two or three meals a day since their arrival. He hadn’t expected to see him again, though of course, he thought they’d be gone by now.

“Colonel O’Neill.” The guide’s tone of voice is already alerting Jack to the fact that this isn’t just a last-minute farewell, even as he lifts his gaze from Callo to several very official-looking people standing in the street behind their friend. Two of the men there appear to be part of the city’s police force, which they call the Legion, which as far as Jack has been able to tell is a mix of police force and military. The third is dressed in the clothes of Ospar’s diplomatic elite, which is _not_ a good sign. “I am glad you have not yet departed. These people need to speak to you.”

 _Daniel_ , Jack thinks, even as Callo continues, in an undertone but a voice much closer to what they have been accustomed to hearing from him the past few days as he quickly became their friend: “It’s about Daniel, Jack.” Jack can hear Sam and Teal’c coming to attention behind him and appreciates that they move to flank him without being overtly threatening.

“Ah – actually, about that, we haven’t seen him and we’re running a little late. I don’t suppose you know where he is?”

The well-dressed man takes a step forward and says something in the clipped, harsh language they had quickly discovered about half of the planet’s inhabitants seemed to speak. It was the official language of Ospar, they’d been told, and many of the city’s highest and lowest ranking citizens spoken only that. Many of the middle working class, on the other hand, seemed to speak both the native language and one close enough to Earth English that the team had not needed translators to get by. When they did need to speak to those who spoke only the native tongue, Callo had been their official liaison. Jack’s eyes automatically track to him for assistance now.

“Ambassador Syhrac wishes to know if you are in charge of Doctor Jackson.”

Jack hesitates over the wording, exchanging a look with Sam, who shrugs. There have been several times since their arrival when there seems to be some subtext in the Ospari culture that they feel they’re missing, strange interpersonal interactions, but when nothing problematic had come of them, they’d decided to ignore it. He’s starting to get the feeling maybe they shouldn’t have. “I am the ranking officer, the leader of this team, so…yeah. I guess so.”

Callo turns to translate Jack’s response and listen quietly to the diplomat’s instructions, which seem rather lengthy. With only a little hesitation he turns back to Jack with a little shrug, looking apologetic but not particularly worried. “Ambassador Syhrac says you must come with him to retrieve Doctor Jackson. There has been an…incident…and he will be released only into your custody. He is unharmed!” His voice raises a notch in alarm when Jack’s hand inches towards his gun and Teal’c shifts his grip on his staff weapon, raising a hand to forestall any action on their part. “He is unharmed, Jack, and he will stay that way, I can promise you that, as long as everyone just remains calm. It is just our way, that he will only be released to you. All will be explained at the Legion headquarters. You’ll have to come unarmed.”

He holds Jack’s gaze in earnest, and Jack has to make a decision. He turns to his team; Sam is clearly worried and Teal’c’s face is as impenetrable as ever. Still, if the Ospari people had meant them any harm, their guards have been down for long enough they wouldn’t have waited until now. “You guys go back to the Stargate and report to the General. I’ll go sort out Daniel.” He doesn’t roll his eyes, but it’s a close thing. He can’t imagine what sort of trouble Daniel could have gotten into here, but he’s imagining Danny touching something he shouldn’t, or speaking to someone’s wife without their permission or some other minor offense that they stumble into all the time. “Give us…,” he ponders how long the paperwork and bureaucracy of even minor incidents can take in their military, and gives a ballpark, “five hours to join you at the Stargate.”

“Sir, I can report to the General. Maybe Teal’c should go with you.” Sam glances at the two stoic and very armed men flanking the impatient-looking diplomat, but Callo is shaking his head even before she finishes.

“That’s not a good idea, Sam. I’m sorry. They will only speak to Jack about Daniel.” Something flickers across his face, an expression Jack can’t read at all. “I really do promise they will both be returned to you uninjured.” Jack notices this time he uses the word “uninjured” instead of “unharmed” and suspects it means something, but he can’t even begin to comprehend what that something might be. Sam opens her mouth to argue and Jack cuts her off with a single hand motion.

“Go, Captain. We’re already overdue, don’t keep Hammond waiting.” He hands off his pack and rifle to Teal’c, and unstraps the pistol from his thigh to hand over to Sam. Glancing at his watch, he says again, “Daniel and I will see you in five hours.”

* * *

The walk to the Legion headquarters doesn’t take long, and Jack finds himself standing in a very plain room that doesn’t feel military at all, though the woman who rises from the desk in front of him couldn’t be anything except a military officer from her dress to her bearing. She nods at the two guards and Callo, clearly a dismissal, though the diplomat takes up a place at the side of the desk.

“Callo stays,” Jack objects, reaching out to stop the young man before he can follow the guards out the door.

“There’s no need for a translator, Colonel O’Neill. I speak the second tongue quite fluently.” The commander says, and one of the guards reaches to pull Callo away from Jack, but his patience is wearing quite thin with the whole charade.

“He’s not staying to translate. He’s staying because I trust him.” The glare he aims at the guard reaching for his guide has made greater men hesitate and this one is no different, shrinking back away from Jack. “Now, somebody better tell me where Doctor Jackson is, and soon. What is going on here?”

After a tense moment, the woman nods her men to the door and allows the guide to stay, and Jack draws him forward to stand beside him. Language may not be a barrier here, but he is not convinced culture isn’t going to be. Callo is at least familiar with them and their ways, from many hours this week spent mostly with Daniel and Jack. The door closes, leaving them in wary silence as Jack and the woman regard each other. “My name is Commander Lita. The Ambassador says you are responsible for Doctor Jackson.”

“Yes, we’ve determined that already. Is someone going to tell me what in the blazes is going on, or am I going to have to guess?” He drawls the words but folds his arms across his chest in irritation for lack of any other real way to express his displeasure.

The Commander gestures him to the chairs in front of her desk, and he lowers himself into one with rather ill grace, while Callo beside him perches gently on the front edge of the other. The Ambassador doesn’t sit, though the Commander returns to her seat on the far side of the desk. “A few hours ago, your Doctor Jackson was involved in an altercation with one of our citizens. It appears he attacked the man in his shop, and some other visitors called the guard. He was apprehended and brought here. It’s a relatively minor charge, so once reparation is made, he can be released into your custody.”

Jack leaned forward, incredulous. “You’re tellin’ me…that you think Daniel attacked someone? My Daniel?”

“Yes, Colonel, he did. There is no doubt, there were several witnesses.”

“Not a chance,” he is aware his voice is cold, his eyes flickering from the Commander to the Ambassador. “Daniel would never. Now, I demand you let him go so we can return home. Even you said it was a minor charge, what’s the big deal?”

The Ambassador leans in and says something to the Commander he can’t understand, but it doesn’t sound friendly and the look he aims at Jack isn’t friendly either. Callo doesn’t translate it, but reaches out and lays a quiet hand on Jack’s arm, keeping him in his chair with a pleading look, and addresses the Commander himself. “Commander Lita, Colonel O’Neill is rightfully distressed at being kept from Doctor Jackson, but there is no need to be hasty in that regard, I’m sure he will follow our protocol when he understands it. Perhaps you can tell us exactly what happened? The Earth culture is not the same as ours, perhaps this is truly a misunderstanding.”

Lita doesn’t look at the Ambassador or Callo, staring instead at Jack. After a long moment, she leans back in her chair, pulling up a piece of paper and skimming it before she speaks again. “It seems that Doctor Jackson was visiting a rare bookseller, and while he was there the proprietor of the shop had cause to discipline of their workers. He interfered, attacking the bookseller. It is a relatively minor offense, but according to our law, he cannot be released until he is reprimanded. If you have not come to take responsibility for the reprimand, then one of the reparation officers will take care of it, and he will still be released to you.”

That feeling that something isn’t right just keeps getting stronger, and he leans forward. “What is this reprimand you keep talking about? It sounds like he was protecting someone – surely that isn’t illegal here. I do not think we could have misjudged your world so badly.” The Legion commander is scowling at him now, but before he can say anything else, Callo jumps up and puts himself between them, speaking rapidly in the Ospari native tongue with lots of hand gestures and glances back worriedly at Jack. Jack steps away from the chair and waits, while they go back and forth for several moments. The Ambassador gets involved, clearly arguing against Callo at times, and he decides then that he doesn’t like the man. He’ll remember his name when he gets to Earth, and hopefully, they can request that he not be involved in further diplomatic relationships between Earth and Ospar.  
  
If there _are_ further relationships between Earth and Ospar.

Damn it, where is Daniel? What has he gotten himself into this time?

Finally, Callo turns away from the desk, drawing Jack over towards the corner of the room. Jack opens his mouth to blast angry protestations, but the guide cuts him off. “Wait, Jack, just…” he looks back towards the desk and sighs. “We don’t have a lot of time. The Commander is not a patient woman, but she has agreed that I can explain some things to you. If I can find the words.” He tries to smile, but it’s more of a grimace, and he adds, “Please don’t interrupt, if you can, it will be easier if you allow me to explain fully.”

Jack nods, stiffly. Callo rubs a hand over his face and bites his lip. It occurs to Jack that he reminds him a lot of Daniel; perhaps that’s why it was so easy for him to befriend the team. “What Daniel interrupted was not unusual here on Ospar. The worker was not being injured, merely disciplined. It is our way of life, Jack. Our society believes in immediate, physical corrections for all but the most serious misdeeds. Every Osparian answers in this way to their superiors – workers to their supervisors, individuals to the heads of their families, citizens to the Legion. I am surprised you went your whole visit without realizing – if I had known it was not the same on Earth, I would have explained it to your team, and you would not be in this position. I am sorry. I can see how Daniel would have thought he was protecting the worker – but attacking that man was a crime, and they are not willing to forgive it just because he did not know. Their only concession for Daniel being a foreign entity is allowing you to take responsibility for his reparation, as you have agreed you are responsible for him.”

“Callo,” Jack interrupts, and he keeps his voice very low, but he can feel the anger thrumming underneath his skin. “Are you telling me that these people are expecting me to _beat_ Daniel, for a misunderstanding?”

“No, Jack, it’s not a beating. A beating is senseless violence. Reparation here is…just punishment. Discipline. A simple payment for offenses committed. There is no lasting injury.” He’s eyeing Jack, and it’s clear he knows he is not making himself understood. “I do not know your word for it. A beating is…fists, kicking and hitting, yes? All over? Meant to cause injury.” He pauses, and Jack is speechless now but manages a nod. “Reparation is…metered. Purposeful. Usually administered only to the buttocks, perhaps the hands or thighs. I cannot say it does not cause…pain…but it does not cause _injury_. It is administered with impartiality or even care. Surely there is an equivalent in your society?”

“They want me to _spank_ Daniel?” This doesn’t seem real, and he’s aware his voice is rising. “Over a misunderstanding.”

“Yes, a spanking. That is not a term we use outside of the family unit, but it is correct,” Callo seems momentarily thrilled to have communicated this theory successfully, but then he takes another look at Jack’s face and sobers quickly, talking quite fast. “And it’s not a misunderstanding, Jack, he did attack that man. You and I know he meant well, but quite apart from any actual attacking which is very much against our laws, it is very illegal here to interfere in the reprimand of those under another’s care. That in and of itself would have been a crime that carried a reparation sentence. I am very sorry that I did not explain this, that I did not realize, and I take some responsibility for Daniel’s circumstances. I feel terrible, Jack, truly, but you can’t tell me that you don’t expect people on Earth to follow your laws, even if they are unaware of them. You can’t tell me that there are not still consequences for breaking laws on accident?”

Jack shakes his head, leaning in towards Callo and lowering his voice to keep his words away from the Ambassador and the Commander. “I hear you. I do. But I won’t do it. It’s not our way, Daniel had no way of knowing. If they will not release Daniel I will return to the Stargate and come back with reinforcements – we will not allow a citizen of Earth to be held prisoner for such a reason.”

“Jack.” Callo grabs both of his arms, physically keeping him from storming to the door. “If you do not do it, someone else will fulfill Daniel’s reparation before you can get to the Stargate and back. Surely, if it is going to happen regardless, it would be better if you, who care for him, are the one to…spank…him? I cannot speak for Daniel, Jack, but even for me for whom this is commonplace…I’d rather have such a punishment carried out by someone I know and trust than a stranger.”

“They’ll risk an alliance with Earth, over this?” He doesn’t pull away from the young man, who responds with a gentle but knowing look, reminding Jack again of Daniel.

“I think we both know that if no real injury is offered to Daniel, and he is returned promptly, your government won’t turn away from trade and exchange of information and technology for what is the normal legal response to a crime here.”

Jack’s head hurts, but he knows that their guide is probably right. “Shouldn’t diplomatic immunity apply here?” he complains as a last try and just gets a confused look from Callo.  
  
“Diplomatic immunity? I do not understand, Jack.”

“Nevermind.” He sighs, wiping a palm down his face, and rakes a hand through his hair. “I guess I don’t have a choice, do I?”

“I’m sorry, Jack, truly, but I don’t see any other way. I do not wish any harm on any of you, or the loss of your friendship. If I could think of a way out of this, I promise I would have told you. But if you refuse, or stall, they are going to let someone else do it, and I really don’t think either of you wants that either.”

He looks guilty, almost devastated, and Jack reaches out and gently pats the young man on the shoulder. _Daniel, you’ve landed us in hot water this time_. “Not your fault, kid.” He mutters and turns back to the Osparians across the room. “Let’s get this over with. But I want it to be clear I’m doing this under protest, and my government _will_ be hearing about it.”


	2. Consequences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first time a spanking scene has ever left my head and made it into written words, and I'm super nervous about it. Please be gentle. This probably has at least one more chapter, maybe more, but it's 5AM and I have to get some sleep (oops).

**Chapter 2 || “Consequences” || Daniel’s POV**

Daniel glances down at his watch for what feels like the hundredth time, but it tells him what he already knows. He has very much missed the rendezvous time with his team at the Stargate, and by now they will be looking for him. He has no idea when to expect them – they’ll assume he got caught up in his studies somewhere in the city, and he’s sure they’ll exhaust all options of asking around the contacts he’s gathered this week before escalating the search to include anyone else. He can only hope that someone will find them and tell them where he is before they totally panic.

Standing, he walks the few feet across the room and tries the door handle again, but it remains locked from the outside, just as it has for a couple of hours now. Turning to put his back to the door, he contemplates the cell again. It can’t be bigger than twelve feet by twelve feet. The floors are a short-loop, burgundy carpet and the walls are a slightly textured boring greige color that would neither one be out of place in a particularly unimaginative Earth office. There’s a single, armless chair; a small bed with a pillow and blanket folded at the end, and behind a semi-transparent screen that would blur details but hide nothing, a sink and a toilet. On the wall beside the door, there is a large mirror that he suspects is actually a one-way window. There’s no obvious way to turn off the single overhead light. It might look like a particularly depressing hotel room at first, but he’s spent enough time now at Stargate Command to recognize the Osparian version of a holding cell.

Moving away from the door, he ignores the chair and the bed and sinks to the ground where he can see the door, leaning his head back against the wall and closing his eyes, trying to figure out where it all went wrong. He’d been looking for a specific text that one of his contacts had recommended, a history of Ospar that would have been particularly useful to study before anyone returned for further diplomatic negotiations. It was quite rare, out of print, so he’d been urgently working his way down a list of rare booksellers. It was in the fourth shop, when he was deep in the stacks and had just managed to put his hands on the volume he was searching for, that he had heard the sound of the girl yelping and the unmistakable sound of flesh hitting flesh.

Of course, he’d rushed to the front of the store, and been shocked to find the bookseller behind the counter with the young woman who had been reshelving books when he came in over his knee, her bare bottom already a bright pink. For a moment he’d stood, open-mouthed, unsure what to do. Spanking wasn’t unheard of on Earth, either, though he’d never seen someone spanked in public like this. It wasn’t until the man traded his hand for a thick wooden ruler on the desk and the girl’s cries became sobs interspersed with yelps and stifled screams that he couldn’t stand it anymore.

 _Of course_ he had interfered! The man was beating the poor girl! But when he had stopped the man, jumping over the desk and grabbing the ruler right out of his hand, the man had been enraged. Daniel had been concerned that the man planned to attack _Daniel_ – so when he advanced on Daniel and grabbed his arm, shouting in the Ospari language that Daniel could only understand about a third of, he thought he was defending himself when he decked the guy. He still doesn’t quite understand everything after that. The woman – who he thought he was helping! – had called the guard, and the other people in the shop had also stared at him as if he was a dangerous criminal, and they must have given statements to the Legion officers to that effect, because the aforementioned officers had escorted him here, to this holding cell, and confiscated his tac vest and all of his weapons. The only thing they hadn’t taken was the rare history book which he somehow was still clutching – but he can’t bring himself to be interested in reading it now, so it is discarded on the bed. He could only hope they’d actually been listening when he tried to explain who he was and that he needed to contact his team, because nobody had entered or tried to speak to him since then.

* * *

  
  
He must have dozed because the click of the door lock wakes him up. He scrambles to his feet and feels a sense of overwhelming relief when the first person through the door is Jack, followed by their Ospari guide.

“Jack! Thank god!” Daniel finds his balance and stumbles forward. “I wasn’t sure if they were even paying attention when I told them who I was and where I was fr…om.” Jack’s frowning in a way that slightly turns Daniel’s stomach upside down. “Jack?” His gaze flickers to Callo, who doesn’t look any happier. “Callo? What’s going on?”

“Are you hurt?” Jack puts a hand on his shoulder, looking him over once head to toe.

“No, Jack, I’m fine. You wouldn’t believe how I got here, though, I don’t really understand. There must be some sort of misunderstanding, Jack, what did they tell you?”

“Daniel.”

The tone shuts him up, and he blinks at his friend silently. For a minute, they’re both silent, and Jack seems to be steeling himself for something. “I do know, Daniel. Apparently, that’s how things are done here on Ospar. Corporal punishment is their go-to thing for most circumstances, and how we missed _that_ completely in a week I have no idea.”

“But…he was….and she was…” Daniel can almost hear the girl’s sobs in his head. “He was hurting her! How is that normal here?!”

“Daniel,” It’s Callo who answers him, his voice gentle, but his eyes are firm. “It is our way. It is an immediate consequence, which ensures peace and cooperation at all levels of our society. Instead of long imprisonments, and fines which affect the livelihoods of families, and resentments that build, we have swift and just reparation. Yes, it’s painful in the moment, but there is no lasting injury and both parties are free of guilt and bad feelings. It is applicable for all but the very worst of offenses here. You are so open-minded about other things, surely you can see the value of this system.”

“Seriously?” Daniel hears himself squeak the word, looking between the guide and Jack in bewilderment. “And everyone just…allows this?”

“It is our way, Daniel. It has worked for us for hundreds of years. We have all but eliminated prisons and crime rates on the world are very low – you have noted that yourself.” Daniel does remember making that comment to Callo early in the week, but it would have been nice if he’d explained the reason why then, instead of just accepting the compliment with a smile!

“It gets worse, Daniel.” Jack’s arms are crossed over his chest, and he’s looking at Daniel but for once the archeologist isn’t sure what his eyes are saying. He looks determined but…regretful?

“Worse? I’m in jail on a different planet, Jack. Not sure it can get much worse.” He’s trying for joking, but the older man doesn’t smile.

“According to the Osparians, you’ve committed two crimes worthy of ‘reparation’, and they’re not budging on the sentence.”  
  
Daniel can almost hear the air quotes around the word “reparation”, and he knows if Jack’s arms weren’t folded he would have made the gesture. “R-reparation?” He doesn’t like the sound of that, at all, especially paired with Jack’s scowl and Callo’s worried frown.

“As far as I can translate, Daniel, it’s their polite term for a spanking-“  
  
“You’ve _got_ to be kidding me, Jack, no way!”

“And they’re quite insistent.” Jack finishes as if Daniel didn’t interrupt. “I’ve been trying to talk them around, but they aren’t in a negotiating mood. Daniel, don’t.” He holds up a hand when Daniel tries to interrupt him again, his voice hardening just enough to silence his teammate, and he’s shocked enough to abide. “I promise you, I tried. You broke their laws, and they're not giving us any wiggle room. They only concession they’re willing to make is to give you a choice of who does it. Me, or the officer whose job it is to mete out judicial spankings on a regular basis.” Daniel understands the complicated look on his face now, the strange mixture of emotions. “They told me if I go back to the Gate for help, we’re forfeiting the choice and they will let the officer punish you before I return, so I don’t think we have a lot of options here Danny. It’s me, or the Osparians.”

“Jack….” He can’t form words past that, he’s too shocked, just staring at his team leader as if he’s grown a second head. Jack’s expression gentles and he reaches out to put a hand on the back of Daniel’s head, the contact grounding and reassuring both of them.

“I know, Daniel, I know. It really sucks. I don’t want to do this either. But it’s me, or some stranger; I can’t figure us a way out of this. It’s up to you.” He doesn’t rush Daniel’s decision, standing quietly, watching the archeologist’s face. Finally, Daniel breaks eye contact, looking down and then at Callo out of the corner of his eye.

“You, I guess.” It’s a whisper, and his heart is already starting to race. Jack ruffles his hair once and then turns to look at their guide, who is standing near the door looking anxious.

“What do I need to know?” His voice is hard again, that strangely determined tone that Daniel is pretty sure is mostly trying to cover a lot of anger at the situation. “I’m only doing this once and if someone else tries to lay a hand on him when I’m done we’re going to have an international incident on our hands, so tell me what I have to do to satisfy this damn ‘reparation’.”

Callo glances at Daniel with a clear wince, and then looks back at Jack like he can’t bear to see Daniel. “I’ve talked them out of a witness in the room as a concession to your status as foreign diplomats. But they’ve insisted the door be left open so that they can hear the punishment. If you’re going to refuse an implement-“ Daniel can’t help but make a low sound of horror and Jack squeezes his shoulder, silently reassuring him that of course he is – “they’ll expect it to be on the bare buttocks. Reparation is expected to end in tears as a genuine sign of the recipient’s remorse.” The guide glances at the door and then finally manages to look up at Daniel instead of Jack. “I’m sorry, Daniel. Truly.”

Jack keeps his hand on Daniel’s shoulder as Callo slips out the open door, leaving it cracked behind him. Daniel is silent, mind completely blank, unable to quite process what’s about to happen. When Jack takes his hand off of his shoulder he wraps both arms around his middle and just watches his team leader turn in a slow circle, giving the sparsely furnished room a once-over. After a moment he crosses the room and grabs the chair, spinning it around and putting the back up against the wall under the mirror. Daniel stares at him, head tilted slightly in confusion.

“It’s a window on the other side,” Jack explains, walking back over to Daniel slowly. “If we’re sitting there, the most they’re gonna see is the back of my head. They may be getting to listen, but they’re not going to get to watch.” He stares down into Daniel’s face for a moment, looking for something, and finally puts a hand under Daniel’s arm and walks them both towards the chair. Daniel is not sure he’s ever seen a more ominous sight than that empty chair feels at the moment. Jack sits down in the chair, pulling Daniel the rest of the way to stand in front of him. “C’mon, kid, let’s get this over with and we can go home, okay?”

“Jack…” He hates the way his voice sounds, but he’s glad he got any sound out of his dry, tight throat at all. Daniel is afraid – not afraid of Jack, exactly, he’s not sure he could ever be afraid of Jack, but the sheer unknown of this is terrifying. Which is stupid, he has _died_ before and been brought back to life; he’s been shot and stabbed and roughed up in more ways than he could ever have imagined since he joined the Stargate program but the thought of Jack spanking him is just too…intimate, in a way, and it’s choking him. He knows Jack’s strength firsthand, and he can still hear that girl from the shop’s wails in the back of his mind.

Plus, in actuality, he does feel guilty. Even if he doesn’t agree with this, he can’t _believe_ he attacked that man. How does that make him any better than the man for hitting someone else? Stopping him from smacking the girl with that ruler, that was fine, but then to hit him? Jeez, he can’t even stay out of trouble on a simple mission with no Goa’uld and nobody after them.

“I know, Danny, I know.” Thank god Jack doesn’t need him to voice any of this. “It’s going to really suck for a couple of minutes, but it’ll be ok. I got spanked plenty as a kid, you know, I can tell you from experience it’s not the end of the world.” He’s trying, even now, to raise Daniel’s spirits and so Daniel rewards him with a tiny smile (the best he can manage) and nods to signify that he’s ready.

At least Jack seems to have some idea how this should work. He reaches out when Daniel just continues to stand frozen in place to unbuckle Daniel’s belt, and then the button and the zipper on his cargo pants, when it becomes obvious that either Daniel doesn’t intend to be an active participant or doesn’t have a clue how to proceed. It’s a little bit of both, honestly, and Daniel is beyond grateful when Jack strikes up a running explanation in a low, calm voice so that he knows what is going to happen before it does. “This will be easier when you’re standing up, but I’ll leave your boxers on until you’re over my lap.” He slides Daniel’s pants down past his butt before guiding him to his right side and pulling firmly until Daniel lowers himself over his knees. It still feels almost like it’s happening to someone else, but he can hear the soft whine come from his own throat when Jack slides fingers into his boxers, and Daniel can’t help but throw a hand back to stop him. “Sorry, but this one I’m not giving you a choice, kid. I’m not spanking you with whatever crazy implement they come up with just so we don’t have to do this bare. It’s not like it’s not something I’ve not already seen a million times in the locker room, Daniel.”

Jack takes his wrist and pins the hand he’d put back over his butt to the middle of his back, using his other hand to pull his boxers all the way down to join his uniform pants. The room feels suddenly cold with his bottom bare and Daniel shivers, but he’s not sure if that’s the temperature or the apprehension roiling in his gut. There Jack pauses, his right hand resting on his bottom in warm contrast to the cool air of the room. Daniel can feel him breathing, and tries to match his own breaths to the deep, calm ones Jack is taking; it helps, for a moment, and his heart rate comes down from energizer-bunny to just a fast sprint.

The hand leaves his butt and there’s a heartbeat of quiet, and then he hears the first swat before he feels it. It’s _loud_ in the silent room, and he jumps at the sound more than the feel. That comes second; it’s a sharp sting, but nothing unbearable. A second swat falls, the same crisp loud noise followed by an unpleasant sting, and Daniel lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. Jack quickly settles into a rhythm; the smacks fall too fast for Daniel to count but at first, they don’t seem to increase in severity, and he lies quiet and mostly relaxed over his friend’s lap and wonders at the efficacy of this as a punishment – Callo had made a point to mention crying, but right this minute Daniel can’t imagine this bringing a grown man to tears.

After a minute or so, he’s aware that the sting is building in a way that is definitely not pleasant, and he’s starting to feel the urge to squirm around in his team leader’s grip, to try and relieve the incessant stinging. Just after he loses the battle and mutters his first startled ‘ow’, Jack pauses. Reaching around his waist, he lifts Daniel a little further over his lap, and Daniel grumbles in protest when he realizes that the shift was calculated to lift his bottom higher, making it a clearer target, and he feels more off-balance hanging further over Jack’s knees. Jack also takes a better grip on Daniel’s wrist and puts some weight down into that arm and elbow, pinning him quite effectively in place.

When his hand falls again in a crisp swat, Daniel yelps. It stings more now that Jack had paused, but he’s also pretty sure Jack’s hand is landing harder and louder than before. His hand falls randomly, leaving no room to guess where the next swat will be and covers the entirety of Daniel’s butt. The stinging quickly builds into one solid, hot sting and Daniel starts to wriggle in earnest, though with Jack’s grasp on his wrist he isn’t making any progress. Another layer of sting, and another; then hotter; it feels like he sat down on a hot iron. He gives in to the desire to kick his feet, but that doesn’t stop Jack’s hand from falling and falling, and it doesn’t seem to inhibit his ability to hit his target every time.

Jack’s hand is falling lower now, and Daniel finds out quickly that the lower half of his butt and the tops of his thighs are way more sensitive than the top of his butt where the majority of the smacks had been before. He yelps out loud and then bites his lip, muting all of his pathetic noises for about one circuit of hot, painful swats before Jack notices (how he knows, Daniel will never know, but somehow he does). “Stop biting your lip. You’re going to do yourself real injury.” The order comes from above, but with the start of humiliating tears pricking in the corners of his eyes, Daniel shakes his head, not wanting whoever is outside that door to hear him plead and cry. He’s totally forgotten that the Osparians have demanded the tears, the humiliation; he just knows he desperately doesn’t want them to hear any of it.

“ _Daniel,”_ Jack growls his name at his continued refusal and lowers his attack again, landing serious swats back and forth to one spot on the tops of each of Daniel’s thighs that makes it feel like he is holding a blow torch to those two spots. Daniel gives in, releasing his lip so he can give in the urge to yelp in painful, urgent objection to each one of those extra hard swats. Almost as soon as he does, Jack relents and goes back to smacking his bottom, though Daniel isn’t sure he lets up on the intensity of the swats at all.

“Please!” He hears himself offer, “Jack, please! J-jack!” Giving one last big struggle he kicks hard and then collapses over Jack’s knees with a whimper. “I’m s-sorry! S-so sorry, Jack.”

“I know, kid.” The swats don’t stop, but it almost sounds like Jack is close to tears too. Which can’t be right, but Daniel can’t see his face so he only has the sound of his voice to go on. “C’mon, spacemonkey, you’ve got to give it up and we can be done.” Some combination of the sound of Jack’s voice, the rarely-heard and affectionate nickname, and the fact that Jack lowers the swats again to the very lowest part of his butt finally sends Daniel over the edge and he gives in to the tears, limp over Jack’s lap as he sobs out from the spanking, but just as much from the guilt, fear, and frustration of the day.

The spanking stops immediately, and for a moment Jack is statue-still, not even breathing, but then Daniel feels him inhale deeply and shakily and then he shifts his grasp from his wrist to twining his fingers through Daniel’s and he lifts his right hand to rub his back, his hand large and warm and very nice. He’s talking, softly; for several minutes Daniel can’t hear the individual words but the tone is nice. When his own cries taper off and the roaring in his ears is lessened, he starts to hear the actual instructions. “Breath, Danny. Easy, easy, we can get out of here as soon as we get you back on your feet. It’ll be ok.” He lets the words calm him and after another few deep breaths of Jack’s, which he tries to match, his friend lets go of his hand and grips underneath his arm instead, helping to lever Daniel off of his lap and back into his feet. Daniel leans forward to hide his wet face in Jack’s chest and immediately the older man’s arms come up around him in a hard embrace, one hand still rubbing his back and the other buried in his hair.

There’s the sound of footsteps in the doorway and Jack tenses under Daniel. “Get the fuck out,” he snarls, his voice razor-sharp, every inch the hardened black ops soldier that Daniel hasn’t seen or heard from since their first trip to Abydos. There’s a little bit of a thrill, that _that_ Jack would come out in defense of Daniel in this vulnerable moment. A murmur of voices in the hallway, and then there’s the sound of something being dropped on the ground and receding footsteps. Jack relaxes and ruffles Daniel’s hair again, resting his head on top of Daniel’s for a long moment before drawing back, putting enough distance between them to gaze into the archaeologist’s face, his own eyes dark and uncertain. Daniel tries for a smile, but it comes out closer to a grimace, and Jack gives him a matching one in return, but his dark eyes say everything he won’t say here, not when they still have a potential audience. Neither of them has forgotten the mirror-window or the open door. “What do you say we blow this joint, Danny?” he asks it softly, willing to give Daniel all the time he needs to get himself together.

“Yes, please,” Daniel says the words with heartfelt conviction, drawing away and reaching down to ease his boxers and cargoes up over his flaming bottom as gently as he can. Jack turns away to give him privacy, but he still is aware he probably has gone ridiculously red because he can feel the blush stealing up his neck and onto his face. It turns out the objects that had been dropped inside the door are his confiscated tac vest and weapons, along with the small backpack he’d been carrying on his shopping excursion. He bends over to grab them and has to stifle a hiss as his pants stretch tight over his butt, but he manages to grab it all in one go and shrug into his vest, swinging the pack over his shoulder and holding the pistol in its thigh holster as he turns to look at Jack.

The colonel had wandered across to the bed and picked up the nearly forgotten history tome, and holds it up now for Daniel to see, one eyebrow raised. “All this for a _book_ , Daniel?” he teases, though he delivers it in a much gentler tone than their normal merciless back-and-forth, and Daniel is grateful for that; Jack is giving him the opening to snark back and put them on a more even keel, but he’s also clearly still worried. Still, he knows Daniel well enough to know that he probably doesn’t want to talk about it _here_. Jack will certainly corner him to discuss it back at Stargate Command, but if all Daniel wants to do is get the hell out of dodge right now, he’ll back that play too.

“Yeah, about that Jack, you’d better leave that. I don’t think I ever got around to paying for it.” He winces a little at that as Jack strolls over, shrugging and tugging open the top of Daniel’s backpack to slide the book inside.

“I think this book is the least these people owe you, Danny. Let’s get out of here.” He closes the pack back up and firmly slides it off of Daniel’s shoulder and onto his own, relieving Danny of the gun while he’s at it and bending over to strap it to his own thigh in a way that Daniel was actively putting off doing. Then he swings an arm around Daniel’s back that is warm and far more supportive than the normal arm over the shoulder would have been. The indication is clear – all Daniel has to do is get back to the Gate under his own power, and Jack will take care of the rest.


	3. Artwork

The original artwork that goes with chapter 2.


	4. Aftereffects

**Chapter 3 || “Aftereffects” || Jack’s POV**

Callo is waiting for them outside the door, his back to the one-way window, watching a single Legion guard out of the corner of his eye. He straightens quickly when they emerge, giving Daniel a fleeting glance before his eyes settle back on Jack. “I have offered to see you back to the Gate,” he says it directly to Jack, “the Commander and the Ambassador have…gone.”

Good riddance.  
  
Jack isn’t surprised they hadn’t stuck around. When they had attempted to come into the holding cell when he was first comforting Daniel, Jack had not made any attempt to soften the edges of his temper, or the anger directed at them. Combined with the threat he’d made when speaking to Callo, before he started spanking Daniel (knowing full well they could hear him, standing in the hallway like a bunch of vultures), that flash of temper had probably (hopefully) been unnerving.

“Lead the way,” he answers the young man with a nod and a grimacing smile. “We’re ready to be gone, too.”

Daniel doesn’t make any effort to pull away from his supporting arm, or even to look up at Callo or the guard standing just at the edge of their awareness. It’s very telling about his state of mind, and it’s not saying great things, though at this point Jack can’t really blame him. When they reach the entrance to the building, Callo looks back over his shoulder at Daniel, and then up at Jack again, and hails them a taxi-like transport.

It was mostly a walkable city, so they hadn’t made much use of the car-like transport vehicles during their stay, but anything that gets them out of here faster is a godsend in Jack’s opinion. Callo climbs in and slides across the seat to the far side, and Jack shifts his hold to lower Daniel in after the guide, suppressing a wince and a surge of guilt at the stifled noise of protest the archaeologist makes when his butt makes contact with the leather seat. He quickly joins them inside the vehicle, slamming the door shut with a last glare at the guard who had followed them all the way outside, and reaching to draw Daniel back against his shoulder, shifting his weight off of his backside. He’s still only seeing long brown hair, his friend’s face averted from any chance of eye contact with either of them, and Daniel hasn’t objected to the way Jack has been gently manhandling him.

Jack is starting to worry about shock.

Callo leans forward to give the blank-faced, uniformed driver directions, and for a couple of minutes, the interior of the taxi is silent except for their breathing and the faint, tinny sound of elevator-esque music from the front of the vehicle.

“Daniel?” The Osparian guide’s voice is tentative, and he reaches out as if he’s going to touch Daniel’s shoulder, but lets his hand fall short when Jack gives him a sharp look. When he doesn’t get any other response, he goes on. “Forgive me. My deepest apologies, truly, I had no idea that you did not understand this about Ospar – that this was not the way of Earth. Please, allow me to remain your guide and translator when you return, so that I may find a way to make it up to you.”

“Yeah, that’s not ever going to happen,” Jack snorts his derision, arm tightening around Daniel. Their guide draws back against his door, looking terribly upset, with a sound like someone just drop-kicked his favorite kitten across the room.

 _“Jack,”_ It’s the first thing Daniel has said since they left the holding cell, and of course it’s to scold Jack – it’s the first sign that Daniel will bounce back from this with his usual irrepressible fortitude, and it warms the colonel’s heart. He shifts under Jack’s arm, turning his upper body only so that he can look around without actually having to sit up straight and put weight on his bottom. “Callo, he didn’t mean it like that.”

“Of course I forgive you, it wasn’t your fault. We should have paid more attention, not just taken it at face value that so many of your rules and customs were the same as our own. _I_ should have been more careful.” Blue eyes flicker up briefly to meet Jack’s, and then away again, and he says nothing but rubs Daniel’s arm a little where his hand is still resting while Daniel addresses Callo. “If we were coming back, we’d be glad to have you as our guide again. You were a good friend to us. But we’re a first-contact team - explorers; we won’t be the team that comes back to do any heavy diplomatic negotiations. Usually, that’s SG-9, and possibly other Earth diplomats.”

The guide appears to be digesting this, and then nods sadly. “So I will not see you again?”

“We might be able to visit, and we can accept correspondence at SG-1.” It’s amazing, really, how many friends Daniel makes off-world. Jack is willing to bet that their guide is the newest member of Doctor Jackson’s ever-expanding inter-planetary penpal club. SG-1’s archaeologist gets more mail than anyone else on base. Ferretti used to tease him, saying that he should be responsible for the salary of at least one mailroom attendant. He’s earned a tremulous smile from Callo, and it’s quiet again. The Ospari city passes by outside the window in strange flashes; the transport follows some sort of track about three stories off the ground, leaving the roadways below for people to walk on, so mostly they can see windows and the walls of tall buildings going past.

“Jack?”

“Yeah?”

“Where are Sam and Teal’c?”

He shifts slightly to look over Daniel’s head at his watch, somehow surprised to find that it’s only been about two hours; well within the five-hour window he gave the rest of their team, even after travel time. “When Callo came to bring me to you, I sent them to report to the General about our delay. They should be waiting for us at the Stargate.”

More quiet, and he focuses on keeping his breathing steady and slow, because he can feel his partner’s heart starting to race underneath him, and his breathing speeding up. Daniel has always reacted well to the body language of others, and the calmer Jack keeps his breathing, the more likely Daniel will subconsciously slow his own to match.

“Do they…know?” He doesn’t have to specify who, or what. He doesn’t look up this time, staring down at the vehicle’s dirty floor instead. Callo is doing a pretty good job of blending into the background now, obviously aware that Daniel’s having a hard enough time with this without having to be obviously aware of his audience.

“No, they don’t. They just know that you got arrested, and I was the only person the Osparians would let come to get you.”

“I don’t want them to know.”

This time, the silence is on Jack’s end, as he turns the logistics of that over in his head. Daniel isn’t really talking about Teal’c and Sam; of course, Jack is pretty sure he’d rather not tell them either, but they both know that with how close SG-1 is, they’ll have to tell the rest of the team some abbreviated version of it at some point. Secrets between teammates become a risk when they do the job they do, and they can’t afford any disadvantage in the field that can be avoided.

“Doctor Frasier is probably going to have to know.” He finally says, quietly. The post-mission physical is not optional, not even SG-1 can talk their way out of one, especially after being on a strange planet for more than a week. Not to mention, once they deviated from the original plan and missed their scheduled time to return, that routine physical would become a little more thorough. Safety precautions that Jack usually approved of in the abstract sense, but truly hated when it came time to actually get poked and prodded. “I’m sorry, kid, but I think the General will have to know, too.”

For a minute the younger man is stiff underneath his arm, clearly readying his best argument, but a deep sigh released instead marks his acceptance of those two people. “As far as everyone else goes, they only need to know that it happens, and how to keep out of trouble. They don’t need to know how we found out.” 

It’ll seem odd, but pretty insignificant, barely a blip of weirdness in the lengthy reports that Daniel will write to guide future Earth travelers to Ospar in all things they might need to know about the planet’s culture, history, food, language, music, infrastructure, and whatever other hundred things he will write pages and pages of notes on. That novella will go to the diplomats and the other geeks. It’ll stand out as a little bit stranger quirk on the precise, insightful, much shorter briefing he gives to the military men who are responsible to keep the diplomats and scientists safe.

This is one time, though, that Jack thinks he’ll go over Daniel’s head and insist that his archaeologist not deliver any of those briefings in person. Daniel spends an inordinate amount of time briefing other teams before they ship out on missions, giving as many of those briefs in person as he can manage when SG-1 is not out on a mission themselves. Though most of them would never admit it (preferring to hide behind their good-natured ribbing of Daniel as a nerd instead), Jack knows that their military units prefer Daniel’s culture and when-in-Rome lectures before missions to any of the other scientists', precisely for that ability to cut through all the extra crap and tell them what they really need to know.

When given a chance, he’ll wax poetic about all of his discoveries for unending hours, but he’s quickly developed an ability to cater to the needs and shorter attention spans of the military types in a way that speaks to, if not _enthusiasm_ for their priorities, at least an _understanding_ of what’s most important to them. This time, however, they can get their Doctor Jackson-supplied cheat sheet to a new planet from the aforementioned Doctor’s written reports. He can’t see any reason to make Daniel stand up in front of a group of people and talk about the Osparian penal culture, even if in an abstract way.

* * *

It takes a solid forty minutes to wind their way out of the city and its suburbs, and the transport descends and comes to a gentle halt at the end of the road, which turns into a gently sloping path paved in wide, smooth stones. The Stargate is visible at the top of the gentle hill, silhouetted against the afternoon sun that is sinking down towards the horizon. Callo leans forward to arrange for the transport to await his return, and Jack gently shakes Daniel out of the light doze he has fallen into.

The archaeologist yawns, and then accepts Jack’s hand and allows himself to be tugged out of the back of the vehicle. Jack keeps his hands on Daniel’s arms until he is standing steadily on his own feet and then looks down into his face in an unspoken question. For a moment they both hesitate, but then Daniel steps away, indicating that he would rather walk up to the Gate under his own power.

Jack automatically falls into place a half-step behind him and is rewarded by Daniel looking over his shoulder to give him one of his crooked little half-smiles. “I’m fine, Jack.”

He chooses not to dignify that with a response; just raises both eyebrows a little incredulously and gestures Daniel to go ahead of him. Callo walks with them up to the Gate, dedicated to his new mission to make sure they get safely off-world this time with no more delays.

As they make progress up the hill, the somewhat distant figures solidify into familiar faces. Sam is sitting on the smooth rocks, leaning back against the DHD, and looking out one direction towards the rest of Ospar. Teal’c is standing in his seemingly relaxed but incredibly motionless position that he can hold for what seems like days at a time, his own gaze fixed on the path they are walking and the city behind them. He turns to say something to Sam and she jumps to her feet, rushing over to join him at the point where the narrow path joins the huge arc upon which the Stargate sits.

“Colonel! Daniel! What happened, is everything ok?”

“We’re fine, Sam, but I’d really like to go home now,” Daniel answers her before Jack can, and something in his exhausted voice must tell Sam all she needs to know, because she doesn’t ask any more questions, just turns to look at Jack over Daniel’s shoulder.

“Dial home, Captain.” He orders calmly, moving around his friend to pick up his pack and weapons from the pile at the base of the DHD, handing Daniel’s to Teal’c before he can grab it himself. It earns him a slight scowl, which he cheerfully ignores, reaching out to steer the younger man to stand just out of the danger zone of the event horizon’s whoosh as Sam finishes dialing up Earth and sending through their identification codes and comes around to join them. The whoosh appears and then the event horizon flattens, glowing invitingly. “Let’s go home, kids.”

Daniel turns beside around beside him and smiles in his ridiculously sweet way at their guide. “Bye, Callo. Thanks for all your help.” Jack turns to offer a half-serious salute as his own farewell, as Teal’c and Sam offer their own short goodbyes. Facing once more towards home, he nods Sam through the Gate first, following quickly on her heels with a guiding hand on Daniel’s shoulder, leaving Teal’c to bring up the rear.

Things are rather chaotic on the Earth side of the Gate, as they so often are. Sam, Daniel, and Teal’c are swept away to the infirmary for their post-mission exams before he can even try and keep ahold of Daniel, and he’s cornered by Hammond to explain why they’re more than a half a day late. Since ‘I had to go get Daniel out of prison’ isn’t the sort of explanation the General is inclined to accept without more details, he has to take the time to give a condensed version of his verbal report before he can talk his commanding officer into postponing a full report until the next morning, and the mission debrief for after that.

Only then is he able to escape to the infirmary to find his team. Sam and Teal’c are hovering in the main section of the infirmary, casting anxious glances towards the farthest bed. The curtain around that bed is drawn closed, but he can hear Janet’s coaxing voice, though he can’t quite make out the individual words. He crosses the room in long, quiet steps and slips inside.

Daniel’s back is towards them, and he’s got his arms wrapped around himself. His jacket is casually discarded on the bed, but he hasn’t removed the black t-shirt that was underneath it. Janet is standing with her hands on her hips, clearly baffled and frustrated by the archaeologist’s refusal to finish undressing and participate in the routine post-mission examination. Turning to look at Jack she opens her mouth to say something, but he gives the slightest shake of his head and walks around the infirmary bed to put a hand on Daniel’s shoulder and turn him around.

Daniel winces, averting his eyes quickly before he has to look at either of them, so Jack mostly gets a view of the top of his tousled head. He doesn’t resist when Jack steers him out of the corner and over to the bed, and carefully lowers himself to sit when the colonel puts a little pressure on his shoulder. He steps slightly to the side, to give Janet access, but not in any way which could be considered moving away from the seated scientist. He gets a searching look; the doctor is used to him hovering over his team, but this is perhaps taking it to a new level.

“Do what you can like this, huh, Doc?” He phrases it as a request, but she takes it as the order it actually is. She proceeds through the temperature-taking, looking for any sign of Goa’uld infection, drawing blood. The next step, they all know, is usually a complete physical exam, scar mapping, a chance to treat any wounds. Doctor Fraser pauses, glancing between Jack and Daniel. Jack plucks at the shoulder of his friend’s shirt in unspoken question and after a heartbeat of stillness, Daniel nods stiffly and pulls the black fabric over his head and hands it to Jack.

Janet looks at each of them in turn. “Daniel, I’m not sure what happened on this last planet but I really need you to finish undressing so I can finish the physical exam.” Her command is gentle, but firm.

Jack folds the t-shirt in his hands a couple of times and lays it on top of Daniel’s jacket, waiting to see if he needs to run more interference. Daniel stands up and he turns to step outside the curtain, but a hand shoots out and lands on his arm.

“Stay,” Daniel whispers, and when Jack nods in agreement, reaches for his belt buckle. When his hands touch the buckle, he hesitates and looks up at Janet for the first time. “I don’t want to talk about it,” he tells her, “But I’m fine. Or I will be. I just want to get a good night’s sleep and maybe take a day off.”

Janet’s expression says she’s biting back a million questions, but she agrees. Daniel takes a deep breath, turning away from the doctor, and takes his uniform pants off. The majority of the evidence is covered by his underwear, but the bottom of his butt cheeks where they peek out are both a dark, angry scarlet and the tops of his thighs are a solid red fading to pink a whole handspan down his legs. Janet’s eyes go a little wide, but to her credit, she doesn’t even gasp out loud. Jack, on the other hand, knows exactly what Daniel’s backside looks like under the underwear as well and feels more than a little self-contempt. He wants to turn away, but he owes Daniel his moral support.

“Is the injury limited to just this area?” Janet asks Daniel delicately, and he nods. “What caused the injury?” Daniel just lets out a strangled sound and drops his head further down and Jack steps forward ready to defend his request not to talk about it, but the doctor stops him with a frustrated look. “I don’t need to know the details, Daniel, but you’re going to have to give me some basic information for me to be able to do my job.”

“It’s just my butt,” he manages to choke out, “and it was just a hand. I swear to you I’m not trying to hide anything else.”

Janet finishes her physical exam with professional tact and steps back, pulling off her exam gloves one at a time to drop them in the trash. “Well, Daniel, your heart rate and breathing are still abnormally high for you, but otherwise apart from the obvious, from what I can see you’re in good health.” She pauses, giving them an opening, but neither man offers her any more information. “I agree with your self-diagnosis of needing to catch up on a little rest, amongst other things. I’m telling the General that SG-1 is off of active duty rotation for at least the rest of the week. I’m going to give you an arnica cream I’d like you to put on your bottom-“  
  
Despite everything, Jack finds himself incredibly amused when at that, Daniel lets out an undignified sound of objection, and his face and neck flush as red as his butt. Janet just fixes him with her best you’re-to-do-as-I-say-I’m-the-doctor-look and plows onward. “-at least once today, maybe twice. It’ll help reduce any risk of bruising developing, and it might even help with the pain. If by tomorrow it’s not significantly lessened, I need you to come back. It probably wouldn’t hurt to use the cream tomorrow morning as well. And stay off of it as much as possible for this evening.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the dry, sardonic tone that Daniel’s using to cover his mortification is just so _Daniel_ that Jack actually loses the battle to a little smirk, though he coughs and looks away before either of them can see it. The reappearance of even this minor snarkiness goes a long way towards reassuring SG-1’s commanding officer that they’re getting back on familiar footing.

“If you’re sure that you don’t want to talk about it…” Janet tries once more time but when Daniel just stares balefully back, she sighs. “Fine, let me grab that cream, and then you’re free to go.”

She leaves with a quiet swish of the curtains and Jack reaches over to hand Daniel first his shirt, and then his jacket after he eases his pants back up over his bottom with just the slightest hiss. He’s already pulled his shirt over his head and shrugged into his jacket by the time a busy and uninterested nurse sticks her head through to hand Daniel the tube of arnica cream, and then seeing him fully dressed starts twitching the curtains back to get the bed ready for its next user. Sam and Teal’c start their direction as soon as they appear, both looking worried at the time it had taken.

Daniel stiffens beside Jack at their eager approach, so he swings a casual arm around his archaeologist’s shoulder and fakes a yawn. “Doc says we’re overdue for a rest, so we’re off the active roster until Monday, excepting emergency of course. All we have tomorrow is a debrief with the General at 0900 hours, but in the meantime let’s all go get some shuteye.”

As he’s speaking, Jack steers them all towards the infirmary door, and Sam and Teal’c have both already walked out into the hallway when Janet reappears, looking at the colonel a little narrow-eyed. “You haven’t done your exam yet, Colonel.”

“I swear I’ll be back, as soon as I get Daniel settled.” Jack resorts to a pleading look, a charming half-smile, and she sighs and waves him on. It’s a short trek to Daniel’s on-base room, and Jack follows him into the room and tosses his own jacket over the arm of a chair while Daniel carefully hangs his up, and then removes his uniform pants and smooths them out and hangs them up as well. He’s turning back towards Jack as Jack leans over him and snags the arnica cream out of the pocket of his neatly hung pants, jerking his head towards the bed and giving the tube a quick shake.

Daniel reaches out to try and take the tube from him. “You don’t have to…” He cuts his friend off with a sharp tsk sound and holds the tube out of reach, nodding towards the bed again.

“Pull your boxers down, lay on your stomach, and let me help you.”

“Jack…” it’s almost a whine, and definitely a pout, but he won’t tease him for it because he knows how exhausted he is. But, that doesn’t mean Jack is going to give in to the I’m-an-adult-so-I- do-everything-for-myself-and-don’t-accept-help stubborn streak of Daniel’s today, either.

He gives him a gentle push towards the bed. “Daniel,” he responds a little mockingly, but with every confidence that Danny can read through the lines (‘Don’t be an idiot’, ‘I _want_ to help you’, ‘lay down before you fall down’).

Daniel throws himself down on his stomach and growls into one of the pillows. Jack perches on the edge of the bed beside him and pulls Daniel’s boxers out of the way himself when it’s clear he’s not going to get any more cooperation. Flipping the cap off of the tube, he squirts a liberal amount into his hand and reaches out gently to tentatively apply it to the red bottom in front of him.

Almost immediately Daniel hisses out a protest and goes rigid underneath Jack’s hand. Jack jerks away, wincing. “Sorry! Janet said it wouldn’t hurt…”

“No, Jack, it didn’t _hurt_ ,” the colonel can just see the edge of Daniel’s face where he turns it away from the pillow, and it’s flushed bright red again, the pout only Daniel can pull off firmly in place. He lets his expression ask clearly why Daniel was yelling if it didn’t hurt, and has to stifle another smile at the muttered, embarrassed reply. “It was really cold. I wasn’t expecting that.”

Jack just shakes his head and makes a mental note to put the tube in his pocket to warm up the next time. Too late this time, though, so he just places his free hand in the center of Daniel’s back to steady him and then finishes spreading the cream gently across all of his friend’s spanked bottom and thighs, ignoring the way Daniel mumbles his embarrassed protests and squirms under his hand. When he takes both hands away and turns to place the tube on the dresser, Daniel reaches back and pulls his underwear back up. Jack draws the light blanket at the foot of the bed up and over Daniel and reaches down to take his glasses off, placing them on the dresser next to the arnica cream, and then he hesitates, uncertain.

“Go, Jack, before Janet comes to drag you back to the infirmary. You know she’s probably counting the minutes it takes you to come back.”

Daniel’s right, but Jack will risk Doctor Fraser’s wrath if he’s more needed here.

The young man shifts around to free one arm and reaches out to hold Jack’s wrist for a minute, looking up into his face with the smile that’s blurred at the edges because he’s already half asleep. “I’m ok, Jack, really. You can come to get me for a later dinner and see for yourself.”

“Okay, fine, message received, I’m going.” Jack pretends to grouse about it but the hand he reaches out to rest for a minute on Daniel’s head before he goes is still incredibly gentle. As he slips out the door as quietly as he can (Daniel’s already asleep), he’s not under any misbegotten impression that this is the last time they will speak of this. Jack still feels incredibly guilty about having to spank him, and a little frustrated that Daniel doesn’t have more care for himself on missions, and Daniel will let the guilt of screwing up a mission eat away at him for longer than anyone else in Stargate Command. But at the end of the day, they’re still Jack and Daniel, arguably the best team Stargate Command will ever have, and everything will be ok.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The boys said they wanted some fluff-y aftercare before we concluded this story. :3 
> 
> If you've gotten to this point, thanks for coming on this adventure with me! It feels like a wild ride for me because it takes a lot more of my own courage to share my writing than my artwork, but it's managed. 
> 
> This can standalone as is, a one-time incident, but I already have several ideas in my head for a series of episode-related one shots in a universe where, as it turns out, Jack and Daniel come to the conclusion that the Osparians were right, and a spanking after a mission goes wrong does clear the air a lot faster than their previous methods.... ;) So if I can get those written down, and out of my head, they'll be a second story in series with this one, for anyone whose interested.


End file.
